Families' perceptions of relational practice in the emergency department: A qualitative study

The purpose of this study was to describe families' perceptions of relational practice when interacting with health care professionals in emergency departments in the South African context.

Relational practice is seen as an approach that amplifies the voices of families through creating meaningful connections with health care professionals. However, the voices of families maybe obliterated by factors in the clinical environment including the pressure to perform and timely patient flow.

The study adopted a qualitative design.

Qualitative data were collected from six family members by means of semi-structured interviews and were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Four major categories emerged from family members' perceptions regarding relational practice when interacting with health care professionals in the emergency department, Disrupted worlds; Care is what you see and hear; Powerlessness; Feeling disconnected.

Findings highlighted the need for improved relational practice between families and health care professionals in the emergency department. Pathways need to be created to involve families in decision-making and genuinely engage with them. There is a need to move away from the hierarchical "expert" emergency department culture towards one that seeks to include the voices of families in driving emergency department care.